The second game of the morning saw Withycombe try something different. The first half of the encounter saw Withy field the players who will be age qualified for Under-8 rugby next season.

The second half Withy line-up comprised of youngsters who will still be able to play at Under-7 level next term.

The first half was bossed by a very impressive Withy as what seemed a constant tide of green and black heading towards the Exmouth line.

The defensive pressure was again consistent, this being a part of the youngster’s game that has noticeably improved as the season has developed.

With the unrelenting pressure mistakes were made in the home ranks allowing first Jack Greaves and then Jaydan Marles to score for Withy. Another element of the Withy game that shone in the first half was much improved handling and passing.

Tries three and four were very much down to good handling as Joe Gosling got on the end of some highly impressive flowing rugby to score two excellent tries.

The Cockles continued to battled and their efforts were rewarded with a try of their own before Withy nailed a fifth try when Lewis Alford scored in the corner. There was still time before the break for Baxter Williams to cross for a pair of tries to send Withy into the interval with a healthy 7-2 lead.

In the second half it was the turn of the younger players to play. They battled really well despite not being able to breach the Exmouth line.

The Cockles kept plugging away and scored three more tires but Withy then stood firm to deservedly close out a 7-5 victory.

On the evidence of the second half, next year’s Withy Under-7s are going to be a useful outfit! There were some impressive individual displays, particularly from Thomas Lawrence, Jamie Thompson, Abigail Cook and Kieran Long.

The Withy Man of the Match award was won by Baxter Williams for his all-round contribution with plenty of tagging, fine supporting and two very well taken tries.

As a footnote it is most worthy of mention that what was clear after the two games that junior rugby in the Exmouth area is in very good shape indeed.